Tigers lose key defender

THE Queanbeyan Tigers have suffered a major
blow with key defender Josh Bryce ruled out of the club’s entire 2013 campaign.

Scans confirmed the 22-year-old has torn
his right anterior cruciate ligament and will be sidelined for at least the
next 12 months.

Bryce suffered the injury during a routine
drill at Tigers training last week and is set to undergo season-ending surgery
within the next fortnight.

It marks the second time in three years
Bryce has been sidelined with a serious knee injury after tearing his ACL and
medial cruciate ligament in the opposite knee while playing for VFL side
Werribee in 2010.

“It’s never a nice thing to happen but I
knew as soon as I did it, it wasn’t going to be good,” Bryce said. “Everyone
was telling me to stay positive but I knew I was gone.

“It’s the sort of the thing though, nothing
could have prevented it. I’ve just gone to pivot off that knee and snapped the
ACL.

“I sat down the other day and was thinking
about what I had to go through the last time I did it and it’s amazing how
quickly you forget what you’ve had to go through to get back playing so it’s
not great.”

Despite the timing of the injury, Bryce
said he would opt against the faster acting LARS surgery and would instead
undergo a traditional reconstruction.

LARS generally carries a three-month
recovery period and would have allowed Bryce to return in time to play a major
role in the Tigers title defence.

“Pretty much every AFL player who has had
LARS has re-ruptured the same knee within five years,” Bryce said. “I’m only 22
and I like to think I’ve got another 10 years in me. Two knee surgeries is
enough, I don’t want to have to go through another one.”

Bryce’s focus this season will now instead
turn to his coaching duties with the NEAFL premiership player have already
taken on an assistant coaching role with the side before succumbing to injury.

Bryce will also continue in his role as
first grade transitional coach.

“I’ve still got my assistant coaching role so
I will be taking more on board there,” Bryce said.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to
help out PJ (assistant coach Peter Jensen) in the box during games and assist
the playing group a bit more.”